


Then We Were Six

by lunabelle



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, New Baby, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 22:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6726373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunabelle/pseuds/lunabelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Ludgate-Dwyers welcome their long-awaited new addition to the family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Andy & April

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will take place from a different POV. Hope you enjoy! :)

Andy should’ve been used to this by now. Nine years and three kids later, he shouldn’t feel as nervous as he did. April going into labor was supposed to be simple now, almost routine. He felt lucky enough when they had the one kid, way back when Jack was born. Never in a million years did he ever imagine she’d agree to four. Yet here they were, gathering their things as they waited for Leslie to arrive, and he still felt as jumpy as the first time.

April sat on the couch, her back resting against the cushions with her eyes closed. Every ten minutes she’d cry out in pain as another contraction hit, clutching her stomach and sipping the ice water Andy had gotten for her.

He wished it was morning. Then at least he could tell the kids what was happening. Now, they’d wake up to their parents gone, with no one but their Auntie Leslie there to try to explain what was going on. Jack would certainly understand, and even Allie. Melody on the other hand…she’d probably be the most upset by her mom and dad’s sudden disappearance. She wasn’t exactly keen on the new baby sister thing, and that weighed heavily on both his and April’s mind.

“How you holding up, babe?” Andy joined his wife on the couch, taking her hand and kissing it.

“Fine,” she grit her teeth. “Everything’s… _ugh_ …good…”

“You need anything else?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Are we good to go?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Bag is by the door, dog is fed, note is written for the kids. Leslie knows the rest.”

April nodded, leaning into him. “I’m so ready to be done with this,” she muttered.

“I know, sweetheart.”

_“Mom?”_

They both turned their heads as their son appeared in the hallway, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

“What’s going on?” Jack mumbled.

“Hey buddy,” April smiled, gesturing him over. “Everything’s okay, don’t worry.”

“Mom’s gonna be heading to the hospital, bud,” Andy said, patting him on the shoulder. “We think your baby sister’s on her way.”

“Tonight?” the eight-year-old looked confused. 

“We think so,” Andy replied. “Auntie Leslie is coming over in a bit. She’s gonna stay with you guys.”

“Can’t we come with you?” Jack asked hopefully. “We’ll be really good, I promise.”

“No baby,” April smiled. “You’ve got to stay home and help take care of your sisters. You guys can come meet her when she’s here, okay?”

Jack nodded, staring at his parents as they looked back up at him.

“C’mon big man,” Andy stood up. “Let’s get you back in bed.”

“Bye baby,” April pulled him into a hug and kissed his messy black hair. “See you soon, okay?”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded. “Bye mom…love you.”

“Love you too,” she replied, watching Andy lead their son back to his room.

 

It all came rushing back to April in vivid memories. The smell of the delivery room, the doctors and nurses hurrying back and forth, getting things ready. It was all too familiar.

Andy was a pro at this by now. Dutifully he held her hand while standing by her bed. He rubbed her fingers, he got her water, he whispered things to her that only she could hear. All of it was wonderful.

She’d been in labor now for six hours. Baby number four was adamant about staying put.

“What are you thinking about?” April asked her husband, trying to distract herself from the pain.

“How beautiful my wife looks,” he grinned, not missing a beat. “How happy I am about everything…”

She smiled, squeezing his hand tighter. “I hope the kids are okay.”

“I’m sure they are,” he replied. “Leslie knows how to keep them entertained.”

“Mmhm,” she nodded. “I think— _ugh_ —contraction,” she sighed, closing her eyes and breathing through it.

“Good job, babe,” Andy nodded. “You’re doing great.”

April took another deep breath once the pain passed, opening her eyes again. “I think we should give them a call,” she finished. “Just to give Leslie an update.”

“Will do,” he smiled, taking out his phone.

 

When it came time to push, Andy knew the drill. He knew exactly where to stand, what to say, how to help, and when to watch.

April was amazing. Their beautiful little girl arrived after eight hours of labor, her cries echoing off the walls as she was placed on her exhausted mother’s chest.

Andy couldn’t help it when he started crying outright. He lost it each time he witnessed his children being born. A tiny part of it was the weighted knowledge that this would be their last time. Although it was three more children than he ever expected to have, there was a finality to it that resonated deeply with him.

“I love you so much honey,” he pressed his lips to April’s forehead. “You’re amazing.” Pushing back her damp hair, he wiped the tears from her eyes as they gazed upon the newborn.

She was tiny, just under six pounds. Like Allie, she was born bald, with nothing but a pale peach fuzz covering her head. She had the brightest eyes he’d ever seen. She was beautiful.

“Andy,” April handed the baby to him, falling back against the bed. She could barely hold herself up.

Staring into the little girl’s eyes, Andy fell in love all over again.

 

April ached from her waist down. For the most part, things had gone smoothly during the delivery. Although according to her doctor, there had been a slight tear from pushing. She’d lost some blood because of it, and it was making her dizzy.

Their daughter was now fast asleep in Andy’s arms, having eaten and rested on her mother’s chest for the better part of two hours.

“Andy?” she mumbled, trying to fight the sleep that had been pulling at her since her daughter had emerged into the world. “How is she?”

“She’s perfect,” he said, sitting in the chair by the bedside. He’d barely taken his eyes off her since she’d been in his arms. “How you feeling?”

“As good as I can be,” she smiled weakly.

Andy placed the baby in the bedside basinet and climbed up beside his wife. “C’mere,” he said softly, curling up against her so she could rest her head on his chest. “You need to sleep.”

“Mmhm,” she nodded, nuzzling into his side. 

“I just want to tell you,” Andy said softly, his lips brushing her ear. “I’m so proud of you, babe. Y’know, from day one…you’ve made me the happiest guy ever…and you just continue to amaze me every single day.” He swiped at the wetness in his eyes. “I love you so much. Thank you for our awesome family.”

“I love you too,” she whispered. “Thank you for letting me take my time to decide to have kids, even if it took a few years. Because now I couldn’t imagine life without them.”

Andy planted a soft kiss on her head. “Time for you to rest. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Honey, we need to name her…”

“We will,” he nodded. “There’s plenty of time for that. Just rest.”


	2. Jack

Jack slowly climbed back into bed. His dad stood by the bedside, pulling the blankets up and around him. He didn’t want to be here right now. He felt like he should be with his parents. They might need him. He was the oldest, after all. Allie and Melody wouldn’t know what to do, but _he_ would. Why couldn’t they see that?

“I’ll see you tomorrow buddy,” Andy said softly. “Get some sleep. It’s gonna be a busy day, okay?”

“Dad?” Jack looked up at his father as Andy made to kiss him goodnight.

“What’s up?”

“Is mom gonna be okay?”

Andy smiled, taking a seat on the side of the bed. “Of course she is,” he said. “What makes you think she won’t be?”

“She got really sick that time before we had Melody…I don’t remember a lot of it, but I remember she had to go to the hospital and then she didn’t have the baby anymore.”

His father stared at him a long time, a sad smile on his face. Jack wasn’t sure if he brought up the wrong thing or not…sometimes he couldn’t tell.

“That was different, Jack,” Andy told him gently. “That wasn’t like this. Mommy and I will bring your sister home, okay? Mommy was really sick that other time…and the baby wasn’t strong enough.”

Jack nodded, although he wasn’t totally convinced. His stomach felt all funny and he wasn’t the least bit tired anymore.

“Are you sure I can’t come with you?” he tried again. “I can help take care of mom, I swear. I’m gonna be nine years old, soon.”

Andy wrapped Jack in a tight hug. “You’re the best son ever, you know that?” He patted him on the back, leaning down to kiss his head. “But we need you to stay here, okay? That’s the best way you can help. Take care of your sisters.”

“Okay,” Jack leaned back, curling up under the blankets. “One more thing,” he added, as his father made for the door.

“What’s that?” Andy turned, one hand on the doorknob.

“You’re gonna make sure mom’s okay, right?”

Andy smiled, nodding his head. “As long as I’m around, nothing bad will ever happen to your mom. I promise.”


	3. Alexandra

Allie knew something wasn’t right almost as soon as she woke that morning. Usually her mommy or daddy would come wake her, or she’d hear her daddy’s loud voice laughing from downstairs as her mommy cooked them breakfast. Now, everything was quiet.

Walking down the stairs sleepily, she hurried into the kitchen. Instead of her parents, her auntie Leslie was setting a huge pile of waffles in the center of the table.

“Allie!” Leslie called happily. “Come have breakfast, sweetheart!”

Jack was sitting at the table, quietly eating waffles. Melody sat across from him, her face red and wet like she’d been crying. She was only four years old, so Allie wasn’t surprised. Snowcone was resting at the bottom of Melody’s chair, his furry tail curled around his feet.

“Where’s mommy and daddy?” She rubbed at her eyes sleepily.

Leslie walked over and knelt down beside her. Allie always loved how pretty her auntie’s smile was. It was hard to be scared or nervous about anything when she was around.

“Guess what?” Leslie beamed, taking Allie’s hands in her own.

“What?” Allie grinned, despite her nerves.

“Your mommy and daddy went to the hospital last night,” Leslie began, her eyes wide. “Because your mommy is having your baby sister!”

Allie felt a wave of happiness. It was sort of like when daddy let her have an extra cookie, or mommy let her stay up a little later to watch TV. But this was even better, because she was getting another baby sister to play with.

“Really?”

“Really!” her auntie laughed. “You excited, princess?”

“Yes!” Allie shouted, clapping her hands together. “Can we go see her?”

“She’s not here yet,” Leslie walked her to the breakfast table. “Your daddy called a little while ago to check on everyone and he said your mommy didn’t have the baby yet. But soon!”

“I can’t wait,” Allie took a seat between her brother and sister, as Leslie began cutting up her waffle.

“I don’t want a sister,” Melody whined from the seat to Allie’s left.

“Why not?” Allie couldn’t believe Melly was acting this way. Why _wouldn’t_ you want a baby around?

“I just don’t!” her sister shouted angrily.

“Well, you’re getting one,” Jack piped up from his spot. “Nothing you can do about it, so stop whining.”

“Stop it Jack!” Melody screamed. “You’re so mean!”

“Hey, hey,” Leslie took the empty seat and patted Melody’s arm. “Honey, you’re going to love your sister, okay? Wait till you meet her.”

“Yeah,” Allie added. “She’s gonna be small and cute…and all pink. She’ll be perfect.”


	4. Melody

Melody couldn’t ever remember being more upset. The drive to see mommy and daddy was way too long. It felt like she was in the car forever. Her brother and sister were glad that there was another baby coming. No one seemed to care that _she_ was sad.

What if daddy didn’t play dress up with her anymore? What if mommy didn’t want to read her stories at bedtime? A new baby wasn’t fun. Everyone needed to stop saying it was fun.

She held her auntie Leslie’s hand as they walked into the huge building where her parents were waiting. It was a little scary-looking…lots of windows and people running around in funny outfits. And it smelled funny, which made her tummy feel weird.

She peeked at Jack, who wasn’t upset _or_ smiling. Allie was so happy, she was skipping as they entered the huge metal thing with all the buttons. Jack pressed the number four, and Melody felt her feet do a funny thing as the numbers on the wall changed.

“Now, we all have to be very quiet when we get to the floor,” her auntie Leslie said. “There are lots of mommies and babies here, and they don’t like loud noises.”

Her brother and sister nodded. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. Her tummy hurt even more now.

“Okay, here we are!”

When the large doors opened, they walked a little down the hallway. Leslie kept checking the room numbers, until they reached a room with a big number Melody couldn’t read. She just knew it had a four in it. Carefully, they opened the door and stepped through.

Her mommy was in bed, holding something wrapped in a white blanket. Melody knew it had to be her sister, because she had a pink hat on. Her daddy was sitting on the chair by the bed, staring at the baby in the blanket. They both looked up when they heard them arrive.

“Hey!” her daddy smiled his biggest smile, hurrying forward. He hugged auntie Leslie, then Jack. He lifted Allie high into the air, and gave her a kiss that tickled her cheeks. Finally, he turned to her and scooped her up into his arms. “Hi baby girl,” he smiled, hugging her tight and kissing her head.

Melody wrapped her arms around his neck. She always felt safest in her daddy’s arms. She clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder, as he turned to the rest of their group.

“Come meet your sister,” he said excitedly.

Her mommy looked very tired and her hair was all messy, but she had the biggest smile on her face, too. The little baby in her arms made a sound, and her mommy whispered something soft to the baby that no one else could hear. Whatever it was, it worked. The baby stopped squirming.

Allie climbed up on the bed near her mommy’s feet. Jack stood on the side with auntie Leslie. Melody peeked over her daddy’s shoulder. She wondered if the baby would be cute…

“Wanna say hi?” her daddy smiled, kissing her cheek.

“Yeah,” she said softly. She could feel her heart beating, like she’d just run around a lot at the playground.

“Everyone,” her daddy said, bringing her close enough so she could slide in next to Mommy on the bed. “Meet Emma.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” auntie Leslie said.

“Emma Jane Ludgate-Dwyer,” her mommy added.

Melody stared at the little baby. She looked just like one of her favorite dolls she had at home. Her eyes were closed, but every once in a while she would move one of her little hands or make a silly baby sound. As much as she thought she’d be afraid, Melody couldn’t help but smile. Her baby sister was so pretty.

“She’s so cute!” Allie whispered, not taking her eyes off the baby.

“She’s so small,” Jack said, his eyes big and round.

“She’s gorgeous,” her auntie Leslie said, her eyes looking like she was about to cry. Their mommy liked to say that auntie Leslie cried a lot.

“Hey munchkin,” her mommy turned to her, kissing her on the head. “What do you think?”

Melody took a deep breath, wrapping her arm around her mother’s. “I think I like her,” she said. “I like her a lot.”


	5. April & Andy

April’s heart felt incredibly full as they all surrounded her. Hearing Melody say that she liked her sister…it felt as thought a huge weight had been lifted. Seeing her other two children stare at their new sister in wonderment…she wished she could freeze that image forever. Andy’s eyes had never been brighter, his smile had never been warmer. It was the perfect moment.

“How are you feeling, April?” Leslie asked, unpacking a myriad of snacks from her bag, along with an entire tupperware of cookies.

“Pretty good,” she replied. “Just relieved that it’s over and looking forward to going home. They said I can leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Were you guys good for auntie Leslie?” Andy asked.

“Oh, they’re always wonderful,” Leslie smiled. “No worries there.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Andy grinned, rubbing April’s shoulder.

“Can I hold Emma?” Allie asked, looking from her mother to her father.

“Sure you can, baby,” April nodded. “You’ve got to be very careful, though.”

Allie scooted by April’s side, holding her arms out wide. April lowered Emma slowly, as Andy positioned his daughter’s hands the correct way to safely hold the baby. Once she was settled, Allie’s smile had never been so wide.

“Good job, big sister,” April kissed her daughter’s head.

“Aww, she’s a natural,” Leslie beamed. “She’s like a little mommy.”

“My turn next,” Jack said.

“You’ll all get a turn,” Andy smiled. He turned to Melody, reaching his arms out. “You want a turn too, munchkin?”

She sat up, reaching for him as Andy scooped her up into his arms. With a tiny smile, she nodded.

“Okay,” Andy beamed. “You can have a turn after Jack.”

Melody leaned her head against her father’s shoulder as she watched her big sister hold Emma. Andy gently rubbed her back, swaying slightly where they stood.

“You’re still my baby, you know,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Don’t think that that’s changed.”

“I know, daddy,” she giggled, cupping his cheeks in her little hands. “Now you have four babies.”

“Now I have four. That’s right,” he nodded. “And I love you all so much.”

“Oh boy,” Leslie sniffed, fanning her face with her hands and blinking her rapidly watering eyes. “You guys…you’re gonna make me cry. Look at you! Four babies…you’re the most beautiful family I’ve ever seen—“

“Leslie,” April tilted her head toward her friend, giving her the look she always did when Leslie was about to get too emotional. “Don’t get gross.”

“I’m sorry,” she hiccuped. “I’m good. I promise.”

 

Andy grabbed the bowl of popcorn and the box of pizza, balancing them in one hand while the other held three juice boxes. He had to admit, it was a pretty impressive sight. The lights in the house were dark, the rooms all quiet. The only signs of life came from the living room, where the TV blared bright and colorful and the family of six gathered.

On the floor was a massive amount of blankets, most of which (and Andy laughed to himself) were old comforters that had once belonged to Ben way back in the day that he’d long given up on trying to reclaim. Now washed numerous times and perfectly soft, his children lay stretched out in front of the TV, their eyes glued to the screen as the movie played.

April sat between Allie and Melody, with little Emma held snug and sleeping against her chest in a blanket wrap. Both older girls leaned against their mother, arms tucked into her side comfortably. Jack sat on the end, Snowcone’s head resting on his legs. Andy carefully stepped over them all, handing out the juice boxes and paper plates for pizza as he took a seat on Melody’s other side.

“Honey, did you forget something?” April whispered, adjusting Emma’s position.

“Right,” Andy sprang back up. “Be right back.”

He returned to the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab April’s ice tea and a beer for himself. In the process, something caught his eye.

Taped to the side of the refrigerator was a yellowing, folded and badly taped piece of paper with lots of scribbles and ink blots. Andy smiled, recognizing it right away. The bucket list was folded to the exact page they’d left it on a little over a year ago, on the night April told him she wanted another baby. She must’ve put it there for him to find. He hadn’t touched it since that night.

Grabbing a pen from the drawer, he scanned the list, stopping when he found what he was looking for. Carefully, he drew a line across _“#50. Have the most awesome family with the love of my life, April Ludgate.”_

By the time he returned to the living room, Melody was already passed out against her mother, with Allie not far behind. Andy took his spot, pulling his sleeping daughter against him so she was more comfortable.

There were no words to describe the way he felt in that moment. It was too perfect…almost too pure. Whatever it was, he didn’t ever want it to end, so he didn’t focus on that part right now. What mattered was the present, and he loved every second of it.

April turned to him, flashing him a tired smile. He returned it, reaching around Melody to carefully grasp her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To learn more about the significance of the bucket list bit, check out my earlier fic, "Number Twenty-Seven." :)


End file.
